Confederate Culture Wars: On the Lighter Side

This tree at the North Anna Battlefield Park has 30 days to comply with the new rule.

The Virginia Department of Nature announced today that the Confederate battle flag will be removed from all trees and bushes in the Commonwealth.

The battle flag on a tree could suggest that the tree is descended from a tree planted in a state where slaveholders once lived, the department said in an issued statement.

“We have been working in conjunction with the Virginia Department of Cultural Heritage and Purging to ensure a safe and unoffensive woodland experience for all Virginians,” department spokesperson Lance Cabella explained.

“Besides,” Cabella said, “Nature is supposed to be peaceful. A battle flag represents battle, which runs contrary to that.”

The Sons of Fallen Confederates have decried the department’s decision.